Dissimilar Metals

[olddav]

I have a stainless steel barrel, a blued receiver and a aluminum scope base (1 piece). I am thinking of bedding the scope base and had a question pop into my mind. Will joining these three metals offer any challenges? Things like screws working loose, add stress to receiver as things heat and cool or anything else?

[foxx]

I never heard of concerns regarding the barrel. some say the rings and bases should all be steal so they don't warp differently under heat and cold. not so much with screws working lose, just change in point of aim. Regardless, use removable (blue?) loctite on screws

[barrel-nut]

I always apply a very light coating of silver anti-seize to the threads of my barrels before installing them. Probably not absolutely necessary, but gives me peace of mind, and I've never had a barrel nut or barrel get stuck or galled. As for the scope rail, I'm not a metallurgist, but I honestly can't see there being any measurable changes in POI that would be directly attributable to differences in expansion, except for possibly in the very most extremes of heat and cold, and even then it's probably miniscule. I've got aluminum rails on most of my guns, and I have complete confidence in them. YMMV though.

[foxx]

Same here. I'm not good enough to know the difference. Not yet, anyhow. :)

[6mmBR_Shooter]

stainless is a lot more likely to gall when theing threaded into stainless than it is when being threaded to steel or aluminum. a little antisieze on barrel threads isnt a bad idea, but shouldnt be necessary unless the action is also stainless.

[olddav]

I have been reading up on the subject of one piece scope bases. Some have said that a one piece base could induce stress if it did not fit the receiver properly. Bedding the base to the receiver is a way to eliminate that stress. It is my impression that a Savage 110 action is sensitive to preasure on the tang, and if that is the case then perhaps a ill fitting scope base could exert preasure on the action as well.
Anyway that's what I've been thinking, and I like to know what others have experienced.

[geargrinder]

It can't hurt anything to make sure everything fits perfect and is stress free. On the other hand, you may be fixing problems you don't have.